Gladiators: Doncaster contender Finley on his 'pinch me' moment

Finley Burkitt (left) went on to win and will compete in the quarter-finals

One of the first contenders on the newly revived Gladiators TV show has spoken about his "pinch me moment".

Finley Burkitt, 22, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, appeared on the show which aired on the BBC last Saturday - only to suffer a knee injury.

Despite bringing action to a halt as he was treated for his pain, he carried on to complete the final challenge and secure a spot in the quarter-finals.

"It was a pinch me moment, I've never experienced anything like that before."

"I wanted to go out and just put on a show for everyone," he added.

"I'm not normally like that. I'm quite reserved - but as soon as I went out there, there was just a switch and I went into Gladiators mode."

Mr Burkitt, who works as a trackman on the railway, was taking part in the Gauntlet challenge when he was injured.

Contenders compete against the Gladiators in a series of sports challenges

"All I remember was I was pushed back a bit by Phantom, and then I just felt pain," he recalled.

"I couldn't look at anyone. I just wanted to look up to my mum to give her a nod that I'm alright."

He said Phantom checked he was OK afterwards, and all the Gladiators were supportive behind the scenes.

"He was there, coming to console me and telling me what a good job I'd done, so I really respect him for that," he said.

Mr Burkitt beat Myles Harris, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the final Eliminator event.

Finley Burkitt said anyone wanting to compete needs to know "it's harder than it looks"

The show - hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney - is a reboot of the popular 1990s original, which was broadcast on ITV.

The BBC said an average audience of six million tuned in to watch the hour-long opening episode last Saturday ,which was filmed at Utilita Arena Sheffield.

The Gladiators, made up of athletes, bodybuilders and sports players, each have a name which best describes them.

This year's line-up includes Apollo, Athena, Legend, Fire, Bionic, Diamond, Nitro, Electro, Giant, Steel, Comet, Viper, Fury, Phantom, Sabre and Dynamite.

First broadcast from 1992 to 2000, the original series was presented by Ulrika Jonsson and footballer John Fashanu.

Gladiators is on Saturday at 17:50 GMT on BBC One and iPlayer